I’ve said this before and I will say it again – verify before you vilify your source of news information. It is very unfortunate to know that many people still cling on to mistaken beliefs and theories that could even be decades old!

Fabricated news stories and irresponsible online news sources spread misinformation in order to mislead and/or make money when others click on the site or article. This makes fake news much more insidious than real news.

According to an analysis by BuzzFeed, a leading independent digital media company, hoaxes about the US politics were among the top-performing fake news content on Facebook in 2016. BuzzFeed News Media Editor, Craig Silverman said that twenty-three of the 50 top-performing fake news hoaxes found on Facebook, were focused on US politics.

However, the Minister seems to have picked up a different lesson from the above analysis that he cited. It appears that the prevalence and popularity of “fake news” which helped President Trump with the American elections is the exact approach he would take to help Dato’ Seri Najib Razak defend his kleptocratic administration.
Two days ago, I have countered Datuk Seri Salleh’s attempt to shrivel 1MDB’s scandal into a peanut-sized RM1 million. The Minister even presented the alternative fact that 1MDB was in possession of RM51 billion in assets and hence is a healthy “going concern”.

I’ve detailed the Auditor-General’s findings that the Federal Government has guaranteed, directly and indirectly, RM39.8 billion of 1MDB’s monster debts of which the Ministry of Finance wholly-owned subsidiary has no ability to repay.

I’ve also cited the fact that even 1MDB’s auditors, Deloitte have renounced the 1MDB March 2013 financial statements which provided the RM51 billion asset figure. This was after various international agencies, including the US Department of Justice (DOJ) provided documents demonstrating that at least US$5.6 billion have been stolen and laundered from 1MDB via fraudulent transfers and fake companies.

Despite the Minister’s normally quick responses, Datuk Seri Salleh Keruak has failed to respond to the cited facts, much less provided any shred of evidence to counter the allegations.

Instead, the above only proved that the Minister has corrupted his position to become the official Ministry of Fake News and Miscommunications, consistent with many of his earlier statements defending the indefensible Prime Minister and 1MDB.

The award of the fakest news of all perpetrated by Datuk Seri Salleh Keruak has to be his continued insistence, even after the mountain of evidence presented by the US DOJ on US$731 million finding its way into Dato’ Seri Najib Razak’s personal bank account in Ambank, that “after comprehensive investigations by many authorities, it has been confirmed that the funds were a donation from the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia”.

The problem is, Datuk Seri Salleh Keruak is learning from the best, Nazi Hitler who wrote, “Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.” The Minister presented not an iota of proof to continue asserting that the siphoned funds actually originated from “the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia”.

It is the sacred task and duty of all right-thinking Malaysians to stand up for the truth and defeat the ‘big lies’ of the Najib administration to protect our country from crooked dictators, and ensure that our children do not pay for our indifference.

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About Me

I was elected in March 2008, the Member of Parliament for Petaling Jaya Utara under the Democratic Action Party (DAP). I'm also the DAP National Publicity Secretary, as well as the investment liaison officer for the Penang Chief Minister based in the Klang Valley.

Before joining politics full-time in January 2007, I was the CEO and founder of a Malaysian IT company, publicly listed in Singapore. I divested all my shares in the company to be able to serve the community and take part in socio-political affairs of Malaysia.

I've always had faith that there has been a guardian angel looking after me all these while - my personal well-being, my education, my career. Some will call it "God's will", some "fate" while some others, "destiny". I strongly believe that it is time for me to repay the kindness and fortune showered on me by my family, the society and of course, not forgetting, my guardian angel. :-)